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Healthcare
Professionals
Every practicing doctor or therapist has those
few patients who just don’t make sense. They have the same complaints
as people you have seen before, but they just are not responding to care.
Simply put, they are hard to figure out.
If something is happening, if a patient is experiencing a problem- then
it makes sense. It is our job to understand it- to make it make sense
to us.
Knowledge is limited. Not everything about the human body is known. Moreover,
no one person or profession can know all of what is known. So medicine
is split into various professions, specialties, and subspecialties. Individual
physicians can choose to deepen their knowledge about one area while,
by necessity, limiting their breath of knowledge. We have chosen to do
this within the subspecialty of soft tissue disorders.
If you were hurt and could not find a solution- What would you do? Who
would you see?
What types of injuries should I refer to Active Therapeutics?
- Anyone you suspect has a soft tissue injury that is not responding to your care.
- Someone that has responded well to care but has plateaued before complete resolution. Often a patient will have several problems and specific soft tissue work may be needed to complete the job.
- Symptoms of pain, numbness, tingling, aching, burning, pulling, and decreased range of motion.
- When all conventional tests (MRI, CT, EMG, blood work) are negative, yet the symptoms persist. There are no technological tests for soft tissue problems. Usually, they must be determined by altered tissue texture, tension, and movement.
When referring a patient to our office you can expect:
- An initial report and periodic update reports. We will keep you informed about your patient’s condition and progress.
- We will be available for phone consultation.
- Referral back to your office once we are done. This way you maintain case control.
Chiropractor
The adjustment takes care of a lot of musculoskeletal complaints. However,
there are times when patients don’t fully recover. This can be a
frustrating process for the patient and the doctor, particularly with
extremity disorders. If you suspect your patient has a recalcitrant soft
tissue problem, send them to us. We will keep you updated with reports
and will promptly return the patient to your care once the problem they
were referred for is resolved.
Podiatrist
We see lots of "plantar fascitis" cases. Most of these patients
are extremely frustrated with their condition. At this point, their podiatrist
too is frustrated when the problem hasn't fully resolved with orthotics,
night splints, stretching, rest, or injections. Most people do well with
these, but recalcitrant cases leave the doctor and patient wondering what
else can be done. We often find tibial nerve entrapments at the arch of
the soleus and tarsal tunnel, as well as scar tissue in the plantar foot
and calf structures impede further progress. Once corrected, the other
measures will be sufficient to make continued progress. If you and your
patient are frustrated, let us know and we'll take a look at it. If the
patient has a soft tissue problem that we can help with, we will treat
them appropriately, meanwhile, keeping you updated to their progress.
Once the scar tissue is resolved, we will send them back to you for further
evaluation and any necessary treatment.
Physical Therapist
When strength exercises are not making the patient stronger, stretching
isn’t making the patient more flexible, or the patient is better
objectively but the symptoms are not, they likely have an underlying soft
tissue problem.
Orthopedist
Any body part that has had enough load placed on it to cause damage and
require surgery will also have soft tissue involvement. This is true often
in acute cases and always in chronic or degenerative conditions. If soft
tissue mechanics are faulty, post surgical recovery can be very slow and
incomplete. We find this, for example, with shoulder and hip labrum tears.
Depending upon the size and location of the tear, we can see the patient
pre or post surgery. Addressing the soft tissue problems prior to surgery
will correct load and mechanics, allowing for a faster and more complete
recovery period. However, if the damage is causing excessive inflammation
or persistent hypertonicity soft tissue treatment may be best applied
a few weeks post surgery. This decision is best made on a case by case
basis.
Neurologist
Peripheral nerve entrapments are among the most dramatic and successful
problems we treat. Symptoms present as burning, aching, numbness, tingling,
or weakness in specific distributions, while diagnosis with EMG, MRI,
or NCV can be inconclusive. We find that palpation of the involved sites
will reveal scar tissue and decreased nerve glide. Proper treatment resolves
the scar tissue, eliminating the entrapment and symptoms..
